Ian McKellen is still recovering from a fall, which happened on stage in London several months ago. He is 85 years old, and the bad fall could have really done some major damage. Instead, he’s just taking it slow and it sounds like he’s even sort of bored these days as he recuperates. Which is probably why he invited a reporter from the Times of London to interview him in his home. The interview starts out with the Times noting all of the books on Ian’s table, as he’s apparently been doing a lot of reading during his convalescence. One of the books was Prince Harry’s Spare! Which started a whole conversation about the British monarchy. Some highlights from Ian’s interview:
He’s on Prince Harry’s side: Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, sits open on the table in front of him. “I’m most definitely on Harry’s side,” he says, tapping it with a finger. What does he mean? “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’ve been in public life a bit, but these people are in prison. They can’t do anything normal. Can you imagine having to be nice to everyone you talk to?”
His thought on Queen Elizabeth II: “The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the end. And on the few occasions I met her she was quite rude. When I received a medal for acting [the Companion of Honour in 2008], she said, ‘You’ve been doing this for an awfully long time.’ I said, ‘Well, not as long as you.’ I got a royal smile for that, but then she said, ‘Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?’ That’s bloody rude when you’re giving someone a medal for acting. It meant, ‘Does anyone care a f*** about you because I don’t. Now off you go!’ ”
Royals and mental health: “Hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world. Like the [late] Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, although even he was deeply, deeply eccentric and I suspect deeply unhappy. Same with the present king. He sort of survives, but he is clearly damaged. As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself. Mind you, he had the pick of all the pretty women in the world. I hope he’s got the right one.”
On American celebrities getting involved in the political world: “But I care. And Tom Hanks cares. He does a lot with veterans. And Meryl Streep cares. She told me she had once just sat down for a Chinese takeaway at home when the White House rang. President Reagan wanted to talk to her about foreign affairs because he felt more comfortable with her than his advisers. She is terribly alert [Streep is the narrator of a compelling BBC series on US politics, Corridors of Power]. And Susan Sarandon is in the thick of it too. The problem with America is it’s so big and people in the Midwest don’t relate to those in California or New York. Britain is small and we should value the cohesion we have. Years ago, when I wanted to talk to John Major about gay issues, I saw him at dinner at the National Theatre so I simply leant over the table and said, ‘Can I talk to you about something?’ He had a parent in showbiz [Tom Major-Ball was a music hall and circus performer] and he said, ‘Yep.’ I don’t think you would so easily gain the ear of the US president or Putin.”
For years, the monarchy and the media convinced everyone that Prince Harry was the dumb one, but as we’ve seen in recent years, Harry was the clever brother. Harry was the one who found a way to leave, survive and thrive, all while the dumb brother is trapped in a catastrophe partially of his own making. “As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself.” Did Ian mean to say William? Because that would be much more applicable. Hilarious that Ian didn’t even mention William, though. I also agree with him about Charles and Philip, two very damaged, eccentric men who tried to survive the institution. Funny about QEII being rude as hell. I strongly suspect that Ian said more positive things about Harry and Spare, but you have to take into account that this was published in the Times.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- A general view of Prince Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ on sale at Waterstones bookshop at Piccadilly, London, England, UK on Tuesday 10 January, 2023. The retailer opened its doors early at 8am for customers to purchase the book.,Image: 748668025, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- Sir Ian McKellen photographed during the Mark Kermode in 3D at the BFI Southbank at BFI Southbank in London, UK on Mon 18 December 2023.,Image: 830681804, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon
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- Sir Ian McKellen photographed during the Mark Kermode in 3D at the BFI Southbank at BFI Southbank in London, UK on Mon 18 December 2023.,Image: 830681816, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon
Yet ANOTHER reason to love Sir Ian!!!
“As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself.” And this dude is reading Spare? Has he not gotten very far or is he “not bright enough” to see that PH did help himself? I’m not surprised that any of the royals would be rude to actors. They have been quoted often as seeing actors as far beneath them. What I don’t get is actors having anything to do with the RF. Do they see themselves as lesser than the royals also or think that getting an award from someone who looks down on you proves something?
I think Kaiser is right that he meant William. Harry doesn’t work in context of what else was said.
I think I agree with Kaiser that Ian meant to say “William” but did that old-person name slip, it fits the details much, much better.
It *was* Phil who told Harry that “you have *affairs* with actresses, you don’t marry them.” Remember that??
it was prince Andrew that Phil said that to when he wanted to marry Koo Stark! Philip got on great with Meghan!
I don’t believe he said that. Sounds like made-up tabloid nonsense. Prince Philip wanted to marry actress Cobina Wright Jr when he was a teenager.
Agreed that Sir Ian was talking about William. He’d already spoken about and had congratulated Harry on escaping. This particular paragraph was about those who were still trapped in the Monarchy.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if The Sun reporter replaced William’s name with Harry’s name. Remember when the Daily Mail interviewed Harry’s military helicopter instructor? He gave glowing remarks about Harry and his abilities as a pilot, but the reporter credited him with some negative comment and that became the article headline. Then the reporter refused to take the Instructor’s calls or answer his emails when he attempted to complain about the false statement.
I can’t believe a Western nation like Britain has such a 3rd world press. Nor can I believe how long the British people have allowed, and have endured, its existence. Sad.
Agreed. I hope you’re right.
Based on the context of the rest of the interview, I agree with Kaiser and everyone else who stated that he was more likely referring to William with that statement: I think that Sir Ian either accidentally used Harry’s name because he forgot William’s, or the press “accidentally” switched the names, similarly to what they tried to do with Kate and Meghan after the Sarah Everard fiasco.
I think you’ve nailed it. They saw a way to denigrate Harry, and they took it, per usual. “Whoopsie! We messed up the names!” No one is ever going to hold their feet to the fire for a correction. It’s a circle-jerk of Harry hate, all day, every day, with the Windsors and rota.
This! ! @And Away I Go. Ian Mckellan didn’t forgot names. Hannah Furness? replaced names. The context is wrong. McKellan might be old-he’s not dumb. He’s seen things and supports Harry.
Furness is doing A LOT OF WORK HERE. lol Will was claimed to have the pick of the litter due to his status and days gone by looks. McKellen is not questioning Harry’s choice.
Agree with others that I think he meant William – the line about not having friends to really help him doesnt make sense in the context of Harry having friends who literally helped him escape from that life. He talks about Philip being eccentric but deeply unhappy, Charles surviving but being damaged, and then I think he meant to say William doesnt have friends to help him.
equality, I suspect that that sentence was taken out of context. He may have been making a point that this “dim” Harry is the one that was manufactured. I would have liked to hear how he placed that sentence in the interview.
Funny how William & Kate are such nothingburgers to UK celebrities.
He probably forgot they existed.
How then to explain the Wimbledon standing ovation?
I knew that DM headline focusing almost only on him saying that Harry is not bright was bullsh*t !
The man is 85 years old and I recuperation, who knows if he is also taking a bunch of drugs,something tells me he meant William when he said that.
It would be funny if McKellen were to make a public statement saying that he meant to say that William was not bright but I don’t think something that hilarious could happen.
I think Kaiser’s right. He meant to say William, but his name didn’t come to mind. The dude is 85 years old!
Harry most definately got the right one
And it would have been best if Mr. McKellen would have gone “actually, no thanks” and given back the medal after that comment!
I’d be willing to bet that he said William and not Harry in that “bright enough” comment. It was said in the context of two people who remained and are somehow survived in the system. Harry escaped. But of course the heir must be propped up and protected from even the slightest criticism.
As someone who has lived in the UK for the last 30yrs, and never took any interest in the monarchy after Princess Diana’s death, I can say that the view that Harry is dim/not very bright has been very pervasive amongst great swathes of society. I have never consumed any tabloid media – yet that narrative seeped through even to my consciousness. I only got interested when Meghan came on the scene and through taking a little more notice of Harry and actually taking in his words/actions, was stunned to find out he’s actually extremely bright. The way I view the media now has completely changed with following H&M – and I can see just how agenda lead it is. And it’s a fungus that has tentacles in many other areas of society.
I fell in love with Ian, not because of his Gandalf, but after seeing 2 YouTube clips of him “doing” Maggie Smith on the Graham Norton show. Hilarious.
Watch “Vicious”.
I’m a French national living in the UK who genuinely believed Harry was dumb until I got active on twitter (because I like Meghan) . Also, after carefully watching Harry’s interactions at Invictus in the Netherlands, I realised he wasn’t.
All the newspapers and magazines ‘ titles sold us Harry’s stupidity + foolishness and William’s seriousness + academic prowess for 30 years. Our vision is spoilt by thèse titles.
He could’ve been talking about Harry? He’s on Harry’s side even if he thinks he’s not bright. I’d love to know how far he’s gotten in Spare bc I don’t know who can come away reading that and still thinking Harry’s not bright. As for picking the right one…he picked a fellow actress, come on😂. Idk, maybe he wasn’t talking about Harry but I also think he could’ve been. He can be on Harry’s side but still fall victim to pervasive tabloid tropes like evil Meghan and dumb Harry.
In the first third of Spare, Harry himself talks about how dim he was and academically challenged. Things perked up when he joined the military and found his talents, but maybe Ian hadn’t reached that part yet.
The not bright line could have been about Harry because of how Harry is so generally perceived in the UK, but the line about not having friends to help him doesn’t make sense for Harry. That fits with William though. All of William’s friends seem to be invested in him being the next king.
I’m sorry, Ronald Reagan was asking Meryl Streep for advice on foreign affairs? What the what? Is she a republican? Ronald Reagan feeling comfy with Meryl makes her sound awful because that man was awful.
I always get the vibe from Meryl like she’s privy to a lot of people’s secrets in many spheres but that made me say wtf also… Susan Sarandon famously threw Hillary under the bus too, so I side eye her a lot. Never forget.
I think it says two things:
1. Meryl feels very comfortable talking about how important Meryl is in the world
2. Ronald Reagan was a dotard
Ronald Reagan also asked the Queen for help tracking down decaf coffee at US hosted event when she was visiting DC. Completely sidelined everyone in the conversational circle they were in to ask “is that decaffeinated? Where’s the decaf?” as a server went by with a carafe, and then wouldn’t let it go. It showed up in some PBS / BBC documentary about the Queen. I remember watching and being all “wait, what?” and rewinding … yup, POTUS is in fact asking the Queen to check on the coffee service and fixating on it like a toddler wanting his chicken nuggets.
St Ronnie’s cognitive decline was showing up in odd ways for years and his staff, Nancy covered it up.
It doesn’t sound like he’s read the book yet, if he still thinks that Harry’s the dumb one. It’s interesting that the Times left in the part about the Queen being rude to him and I suspect they left out his comments about William.
His comments about the late queen made me LOL. He’s a gem.
I LOLed at the comments about the late queen. It seems people have her on such a pedestal so for someone like SIR Ian Mckellan to come out and say she was rude is hilarious.
But remember before, something was said about a royal, there was a complaint, and it was changed to Harry. Very possible that Ian said William and it was changed to Harry. At any rate, once he reads Spare, he won’t think Harry is dumb. Anything but. At least he said he was on his side.
I don’t see anything wrong with McKellen’s comment. Harry isn’t the brightest in the bunch and he’d be the first person to tell you the same. What he continues to do, though, is do the best he can with the sh*tty hand he was dealt. So kudos for that.
What??!!! Anyone who has seen all the successful projects Harry has thought up ON HIS OWN and launched, heard him speak and read his book would see that he is incredibly intelligent – and insightful.
This comment is a testament to precisely what Kaiser and others said above: the narrative set by the British media hacks has pervaded the mentality of the nation and even that of people abroad.
Whoa whoa whoa. You need to calm down because you completely misinterpreted what I typed. I am firmly in Harry’s corner; have always been. I’ve read Spare. Harry’s spoken more than once about how he didn’t do well in school and was never an academic. This is well documented. YET…..he also doesn’t need to be a member of Mensa or a Rhodes scholar to do the amazing work he continues to do.
@DaniM – Harry isn’t the brightest tool and yet I bet he has done with his life more than you would ever achieve in your life time.
say u are stupid without you saying u are …. chef kiss
Tell me where I said Harry was stupid. I also stated:
“What he continues to do, though, is do the best he can with the sh*tty hand he was dealt.”
Not sure where I said I was better than Harry, but I can’t help it if you assumed something completely different.
If by “the bunch” you mean the RF, I would argue that Harry’s one of the brightest in that particular bunch. I wouldn’t speculate on his IQ, but a high IQ doesn’t necessarily equate with academic excellence or general success in life. And with a family in which success is determined by birth order, what does that even mean?
I think what we’re talking about here is aptitude. Harry clearly has aptitude for determining problems and devising solutions. He’s empathetic, a good communicator and has the focus and determination to follow through on his projects. I’m not sure what more can be expected.
Thank you Eurydice. You’ve captured my sentiments in a nutshell. “not the brightest of the bunch” has never been a compliment to anyone and in the case of the British royal family Harry very clearly IS among the brightest of the bunch, and the family and the media hacks know this, hence their multiple efforts to force him back to the UK. He showed them up for the mediocrities they are and they cannot allow this to stand.
It is clear that none of “the bunch” has had the combination of skills required to accomplish as much as Harry has done in his life, despite being emotionally and financially abused – and despite the numerous hurdles which his brother’s advisers put in his way, attempting to stymie his efforts to do good work (which would inevitably highlight the incompetence of the heir, as is happening now).
As to “academic” brightness, I remember how astounded Dax Shepard was when he interviewed Harry on his podcast and realised that Harry was a fully qualified Apache helicopter pilot and actually had flown that impressive aircraft in combat. Harry himself said in his book that he was astonished that he was setting out to do something like the training which he undertook, which required a lot of study and the passing of numerous exams – which he excelled at, by all accounts. There aren’t many who can list this as an accomplishment. He is clearly among the brightest of the bunch. But the media narrative of “dim Harry” lingers on, despite ALL evidence to the contrary.
Harry is actually quite bright, if one measures by the standards of life accomplishment.
After reading Harry’s memoir Spare, it’s obvious Harry’s intelligent.
I did a little research on Harry’s military training. Before his second tour of duty, frontline Afghanistan, the army selected Harry to train as an Apache attack helicopter pilot. Only the best officers are chosen to fly Apache attack helicopters. The Apache attack helicopter is the most complex helicopter to fly.
Harry graduated top of his class at the end of his 18 months training.
Then Harry completed his training flying frontline in Afghanistan engaging with the Taliban. Flying in the same area where an Apache attack helicopter was shot down.
By the end of his tour of duty, Harry had become an Apache Aircraft Commander.
Harry’s commanding officer praised Harry’s professional manner, his abilities and the mutual respect he gained from his fellow officers and subordinates.
I watched the trailer of an interview of Harry with a psychologist, Gabor Maté, who specialises in childhood trauma. Gabor Maté said Harry most likely suffered from ADHD as a child, which caused problems for him in the classroom. Gabor Maté says ADHD is caused by childhood trauma.
From the time Harry was born, there was tension between his parents. His early childhood was spent during his parents unhappy marriage.
I think he’s talking about Harry. If he’s only halfway through Spare then of course he would think Harry had no friends or support. And that he was a little dim.
Good he’s on his side!
“As for…” Would indicate he was referring to the contrasting brother, not Harry, as he’d already given his thoughts about him. He either misspoke, or there’s an example of the secret contract right before or eyes. Either way, everyone knows that Harry is the smart brother.
He compared Harry to Macbeth in the rest of the interview (e.g. with an overly ambitious wife) so…
Again the other brother would be much more applicable.
I think even Harry himself said he wasn’t book smart. Neither was Diana. But no one cares because like his mother, Harry is brilliant with people.
It’s without question he has more charisma in his pinky finger than William has in his whole body and the royal family is badly missing his presence.
The media knows it too and that’s why they’re throwing a fit to get him back.
He’s tactile with commoners. Cheeky, fun, loose, loving. While William is stiff and awkward. It may be an heir and spare thing but I suspect Harry was just born that way.
Elizabeth, he HAD to be book smart to learn how to fly the most complicated helicopter in the world and pass all of the exams needed to qualify and eventually become an Apache attack helicopter commander.
People keep harping on “even Harry himself said…”. Anyone who has read his book or listened to his interviews would see with their own eyes that the man is highly intelligent and focussed.
If you tell children repeatedly that they are stupid and treat them as such – and in his case, telling the world the same thing – those children will see themselves as such. But then this child grew up, and fortunately he had people who could see his intelligence, his qualities and point these out to him. He will acknowledge today, like any ordinary person, that he does not know everything, but I’ll bet you he stopped seeing himself as “not bright” a long time ago. He grew up and saw what the people controlling him were doing and moved past them. And thank goodness for that.
Harry is without a doubt a very gifted individual. He is obviously intelligent, or he would not have succeeded as he has in the army, or in the realms of charity and philanthropy. He has vision and imagination, along with empathy and integrity. Academic intelliegence is only one kind of intelligence, and there is more than one way to learn. My guess is that there seemed to be an enormous lack of focus in Harry’s prep school years for academic learning, but he certainly found his focus when he joined the army.
Um sorry if he thinks Susan S is doing the good work politically (which she is absolutely not and neither is Meryl « I’m a humanist ») I am not surprised if he he thinks H is dim. Both opinions are false.